It wasn’t perfect, it was often nervy, but Atalanta did just enough to get the job done against previous Serie A table leaders Napoli. A 3-2 victory for Atalanta upped the ante at the top of the table, with four points now separating the first and fourth place teams (Milan and Atalanta respectively). With a seven point gap now between Atalanta in fourth and Fiorentina in fifth, the Scudetto race is shaping up to be a bloodbath among the current top 4 with the chance for an outside team lurking to make a final push.
This all came to fruition thanks to Saturdays proceedings in Napoli. Even down a handful of essential starters, Luciano Spalletti’s squad made life challenging for captain Rafael Toloi and his defensive setup. The Napoli quartet of Hirving Lozano, Piotr Zielinski, Eljif Elmas, and Dries Mertens cultivated a wide open attack – making it incredibly difficult for Atalanta to stifle Napoli during its offensive build up. Plenty of lightning quick one touch football helped Napoli to bypass Remo Freuler and Marten de Roon just enough to keep the pressure on the Atalanta backline, and the pressure away from Napoli’s rarely used back three defense.
But ultimately, Atalanta’s firepower overwhelmed Napoli’s defense enough to take advantage of its absences. A line led by Duvan Zapata making a long day for Amir Rrahmani and his flanking defensemen. Zapata, Ruslan Malinovskyi, and substitute Josip Ilicic put David Ospina in difficult positions all night – firing off a total of 21 shots and seven on target. And in the end, the three goals was enough for Atalanta to escape with three points. It was a little hairy right at the end, but the defense bunkered down when it mattered – and Toloi and Merih Demiral’s heroics up front and at the back have Atalanta in spitting distance of first place. Let’s save the day dreaming of the Scudetto for another day, but at least take some time to relish in the victory against another direct opponent on the road!
Atalanta Passione’s Match Ratings
Juan Musso: 6 – Not Musso’s best game, most notably some questionable decision making with his distribution.
Rafael Toloi: 7.5 – Some top notch defensive work to close out the match, combined with an assist to setup his mate at the back was instrumental to Atalanta’s victory.
Merih Demiral: 7.5 – Demiral channeled his inner Robert Lewandowski to spur on Atalanta’s second half comeback.
Jose Luis Palomino: 6.5 – He had his moments (including unleashing Zapata on Atalanta’s first goal), but lost out on too many duels against smaller opponents than a defenseman ever should.
Davide Zappacosta: 6 – He only had a half to make an impact on the match, but he did get to unleash a ripping shot on Ospina thanks to his work going forward.
Joakim Maehle: 6.5 – He’s still chugging along, doing just enough to be impactful, and wonderfully set up Zapata on his header that clanked off the post. (He can use his left foot too!)
Remo Freuler: 7 – A perfectly slotted game deciding goal capped off a good midfield performance that exhausted Napoli’s depleted midfield.
Marten De Roon: 6.5 – De Roon did well on trash duty like he always does, helping sufficiently with Napoli’s shifty attackers.
Ruslan Malinovskyi: 7 – A banger of a goal was the highlight, but the Ukrainian was also better in possession, less prone to hold onto the ball.
Matteo Pessina: 6.5 – The young Italian is still struggling to get on post injury, but he was got on nicely on the left side of the pitch, where he tends not to play.
Duvan Zapata: 7.5 – No goals for the Colombian on Saturday, but his hold up work against Napoli’s weakened backline was the difference in turning the tides to Atalanta.
Hans Hateboer: 6 – The breakaway speed is not there yet, but he was key in the build-up to the third and decisive goal.
Josip Ilicic: 7- The Slovenian came on and did his closing duties well, plus adding a deft assist to Freuler.
Mario Pasalic: 6 – He was quiet as he came on when the team was set up to defend – no grave errors.
Luis Muriel: s/v
Berat Djimsiti: s/v
Atalanta Passione Man of the Match – Merih Demiral
The Turkish international finished off a nice defensive performance with a top shelf finish, both figuratively and literally, for his first Serie A goal with Atalanta. With Napoli’s superior technique and the absence of a true target man, it was a match set up to cause Demiral difficulty. Demiral handled his task well in the middle, winning all of his aerial duels, and barely putting a foot wrong. Its not often to see defenders put in primo finishes, but Demiral looks to be enjoying every moment of being a Gasperini centerback – where they’re all given freedom to contribute offensively when the time is right.
Other Napoli vs. Atalanta Match Odds and Ends
With goals coming from Remo Freuler and Merih Demiral on Saturday, thirteen players have now scored for Atalanta in Serie A. La Dea had sixteen unique scorers last year, so the guys still have twenty four matches to tie last year’s mark.
Often looking like he is moving in slow motion, if Matteo Pessina had a bit more pace, he could be one of the best attackers in Serie A. He had a chance to set up a one on one chance with Ospina, but Rrahmani was able to track him down at the last second. Not something that should be happening, even if Rrahmani is a bit quicker than he looks.
Ruslan Malinovksyi picked up his fifth yellow card against Napoli, and he will be unavailable against Hellas Verona. Malinovskyi is now tied for the most yellow cards on the club, and as an attacking midfielder his discipline is a bit concerning – as Atalanta does not require him to needlessly get stuck-in on tackles. However, Malinovskyi now has four goals on the year, all lightning bolts from outside the box.
The table is so delicious right now:
-Milan 38 points
-Inter 37 points
-Napoli 36 points
-Atalanta 34 points
-The rest 27 points
Atalanta is shaping into furious form at the right time, and much quicker than the tifosi have come to expect based on the outcomes from previous years. With Atalanta’s depth, and perhaps one or two key signings in January, Atalanta are making serious noise now – and with back to back away victories in Turin and Napoli – no challenge seems insurmountable for the guys. It is now just a question if La Dea an keep it up for the remaining half of the year…
A fantastic win against one of Serie A’s best teams, with goals coming from some improbable guys – we’ll take it! As always, Forza Dea!
